BETA: Audio improvements for Apple TV and iPhone/iPad

Try removing them from default audio on the atv settings and then re add. That fixes it for me.

You might have to remove and delete channels and te add everything.

I don’t understand why this is the only app that it happens to but we’re told that they are using the same api’s as everyone else :man_shrugging:t2:

I think that did it! Thank you.

Some possible improvements in latest beta for the Default driver.

Thanks, Aman. which audio dirver should i be using for homepods? and airpdods? ive been using experimental since its better airplay2 support. should i be using default instead? thanks.

So far so good! Responsiveness is much better than the experimental and in my first hour of use I haven’t heard any of the garbling that I used to hear from the Default driver.

I did experience a couple of micro-buffers (maybe 0.25 seconds each) while watching a virtual channel with DTS-HD 7.1 audio. Idk if it’s related to the new driver but I submitted diagnostics.

Not as much luck today, I’m watching ESPN and there’s a very short video freeze every 10-15 seconds, followed by distorted audio as it syncs back up to the video. I submitted diagnostics.

After I force quit the app and re-opened, it happened once more at the beginning of the stream but seemed to stabilize.

Here in the last couple of weeks I’ve noticed some big instability in my airplay audio to my homepod. If the audio starts, it works flawlessly. But if I change channels, the audio won’t always start up. I have to close the app and come back in before it will actually link up with my homepod.

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@tmm1

Any glitches with this likely to stay due to apples side of it? Or you guys hoping to iron it out at some stage?

I imagine would be difficult to allocate time to this anyway - and I’m just wondering whether to stick with my HomePods or change to a sound bar.

Audio works perfect for me most of the time but always goes mute when going into pip and can only get audio back once in full screen by skipping back and the forward again.

Thanks:)

I recently went back to the Experimental Audio driver with my pair of HomePod minis because the default driver performance was way less reliable after tvOS 16.5. Experimental performance is definitely better than last year, the few annoyances I still have are:

  1. Resuming a paused recording after the Apple TV screensaver has been activated results in no audio. I have to exit the player to get audio back.
  2. Pressing fast forward within 1-2 seconds of starting playback results in video but no audio. Again, the only fix seems to be exiting the player and waiting for audio to play before scrubbing around.
  3. After rewinding/fast-forwarding and pressing play, occasionally the video is paused for 5 seconds while the audio plays, and then once the audio catches up to the frozen frame the video/audio resume, synced. This isn't the biggest issue but 5 seconds can feel like a long time!

@tmm1 any more magic you can squeeze out of this issue? tvos 17 introduced more issues. the lag is back. @maddox says its because of not using the system player but everything works fine in the hdhomerun app (i assume they dont use the system player unless its reskinned).

starting a stream starts with no audio and then the video freezes. a rewind click brings the audio back.

also, if playing a virtual channel, it goes to the next episode and then pauses without audio, this does not happen with any other type of stream that is not a virtual channel.

thanks for checking.

I can check with SiliconDust devs to see if they have pointers. My understanding is that Plex, Emby, Jellyfin and VLC all struggle to play back on HomePods correctly.

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I assume this issue is the reason I lose audio every time a show goes to switch from show to commercial or commercial to commercial. Very weird bug. Audio is perfect then a commercial comes on and I lose it.

I occasionally use SiliconDust's own HDHomeRun Recorder on a Raspberry Pi 4B with an AppleTV 4K and a stereo pair of HomePod minis. It works well. I note no stuttering or lags when pausing and restarting live streams, or when fast-forwarding through recordings.
Channels DVR on the same kit still has a short pause on video and perhaps 2-3 seconds on sound with the Default audio driver. The Experimental driver still can hang (no sound) when switching between recordings or (occasionally) when changing channels (Channels DVR App v 5.75, with Server Version 2023.11.15.2139).

Cheers, Tim